Sushi Shock

2013 has brought me into 2 shocking events:

1. I am diagnosed with blood cancer.

2. I am unable to have sushi, the delicacy I ironically used to named this blog, for God knows how long because of the treatment I have to go to.



















Which one shock me more? I'll take the second =(

An Article I Wrote For The School Magazine

Great Things Happen When We Believe

It almost felt like a dream, a fantasy that could only happen in lives of the talented and gifted. No, it could not be possible; to be given the luxury of a free plane flight across half the world; to be blessed with an opportunity to do, see, hear and feel things that I have only dreamt about; to be an honorable guest of the one of the world’s most renowned and historical university; to be referred as the representative of “Malaysia” alongside only the finest young speakers of other countries. No, that could not be for real.

My name is Bong Yang. I started college in TARC just like any one of you in 2008. I used to gaze upon the fluently articulated emcees during Mass Call and thought how great it would feel like to be able to speak so wittily to such a big crowd. I admire the seniors that greeted us during our first days of college who shared their success stories, of how possible it could be to both excel in studies and also be champions in other activities. I was truly inspired, but never thought it was possible. Success stories were for a few, I was just another freshman among the thousands of others. Why would I be the successful one?

The years went by as college life molded me to start believing and dreaming big. Even so, I had no idea something bigger than my dreams was coming my way. I was told by Ms. Val, my English lecturer that there was an English examination from Cambridge and the International winner would get an MBA scholarship. I actually broke out in laughter. It sounded so bizarre and farfetched that I thought I should definitely give it a try.

Bizarre indeed it was. Being one of the highest scorers of the examination, I was invited to the “National Level Cambridge English Speaking Competition” that was coincidentally held in that exact hall that I first dreamt of speaking on stage. The winner of the competition would be flown to Cambridge in UK to compete for an MBA scholarship. It was unbelievable. I held on tight to my guts, surrendered the rest to God and enjoyed my brief moment on stage. The next thing I know, they were announcing the winner and I heard my name and went up stage. I didn’t really know what was happening back then, probably looking back now, it was simply too good to be true. Cambridge? Really? Where in the world is Cambridge?

+Photo with the judges after winning  the National Level Cambridge English Speaking Competition in TARCollege

Cambridge is 80km north of London, says Wikipedia. On the 4^th of July, I arrived in London after a 12 hours flight.  A RM500 taxi ride brought me to Cambridge (Cambridge paid the bill) where Isaac Newton and many other scientists that we never bothered memorizing from out text books used to study and do their research.  Cambridge was really a great host, having given a room to myself and abundance of food to enjoy, I was prepared to face the competition!

The competition came swiftly the next day while I was still jet-lagging. The finalists were required to present a speech about “The economic impact of Olympics towards its hosting country”, an impromptu speech and a Q&A Session.  The crowd roared when I ended my speech. Be it out of passionate cheer or plain courtesy, I walked off knowing I gave my best. Before the announcing of the results, many from the crowd came to me and commended on my presentation. It was a little overwhelming as the comments they gave sounded pretty conclusive. However as they announced the winner, my name was not mentioned this time.

+ Presentation during the competition

Although disappointed, I knew winning was not the most important thing. The experience of being in an International competition was fulfilling in itself. Having given the chance to see the world and travel the UK was amazing, especially when you have a passion for photography.

One of the most rewarding experience was the honor to mingle with the finalists from different countries. All of them were champions from their country, fluent in their language, sharp in their thinking and ability in articulating their thoughts. It was indeed satisfying to be competing as well as befriending them.

+New found friends from different parts of the world

We were all like little ambassadors of our country. Through each other we learned of the history, culture, happenings as well as the concerns of the very people of each country that the media would never tell. The differences in values, belief and manner were very tangible but yet through that I learned to honor and respect differences, to embrace unity in diversity and not conformity. Being able to know one another and share thoughts and ideas definitely widen our perspectives that so often bound us to a limited world-view.  The world indeed is much bigger than the one we see through our lenses.

Truly, from a freshman who thinks he would have to helplessly live an ordinary life to one that has been sent overseas to speak on behalf of Malaysia, sounds too good to be true, a fairytale-liked dream that could only happen to the very few gifted and talented. The truth is who says fairytales cannot come true?  Every one of us are gifted in our own ways, we have talent buried inside of us that yearns to show up. The last thing we would want to do is to think small of that God-given potential, much like me when I first joined college, and thank God that He totally ruined my plan of being mediocre an ordinary.

“And these signs will follow those who believe” Mark 16:17

Let’s not give up on the dreams that we use to have, or the dreams we do not dare to dream.

Let’s start thinking and dreaming big again, because great things happen when we start to believe!  

Loves,

Bong Yang

Work

I

Work with 3 graphic designers

 Design and be creative

 Drink Coffee

Take photographs

Design websites

Make videos and produce short-films

AND

Facebook

No, facebook IS part of my job.

Not bad,

Not bad at all.

The 2012 Hairstyle

I found out a very peculiar happening, recently.

Besides the fact that blogger has changed its format and that writing has become much easier without the need of constant scrolling due to its small tiny box... *breathes.

is that all the people I like/look up to share something in common. 

In the midst of my love-hate-relationship with my hair wondering whether to cut it short, 

this is what I found out:

Jason Mraz, singer song writer who has crazy guitar skills changed his appearance from this, 

to this 2012 long haired, bearded homeless look. 

John Mayer joined in the 2012 hyped as well,Mayer, who write songs that makes both guys and girls melt and in my opinion has even more mad guitar skills changed his hairstyle to this old school long hair dude, that looks charmingly, homeless

How can we ever forget Johnny when it comes to the 2012 long hair look!

well, i guess he never really changed his hairstyle.

Dear Loki, who successfully confused the girls between the bad guys and the good guys

 had long medusa looking hair

 I don't really like him

Aha! This one's a must to mention. Having gold dust appearing miraculously and feathers dropping out of no where,Bill Johnson has also recently joined in the 2012 long hair club

 

                                                                      looks way cooler doesn't it?





Ok, so all the signs photos tell me that long hair is "THE" hair of the year. But I am still not convinced, 



till I saw this,

O yea Kim Walker! I am definitely keeping my hair long now.

Dear Big Ben,

It's 4am on a Saturday morning and I am rushing to finish my assignment. Sometimes the formality of homework scares me, of what reference format to follow and the number of words to adhere with. In a silent rebel, I decided to ditch it for a moment and runaway to this place where I can let my emotions breathe.

5 days of work behind me ,and 2 more days of classes awaits me before the cycle repeats itself again. I really should be complaining and fretting, but I have come to the realization that those can't change anything at all.

I have decided! To live each moment to its fullest! Gosh do you know what I've realize? I'm in TARCollege 7 days in a week! Hahaha. Makes me wonder how would I feel when I eventually leave this place.

Gah, that's  it for now. Gotta go back to reality for a while to do what I am suppose to do. I have plenty of things to write about here, of how flying 12 hours with MAS felt like, and how the food in UK taste different,  and I have a gazillion photos to share too! But, I have no idea when can I do that. Hmm feel like sitting on a train right now,  or doing something radical, or sing out loud! Ops! Good morning whoever you are.

You are handsome indeed, Mr Big Ben!

Yours truly,
Yang

Writing, Thinking, Renewing

I believe in writing. Because it jots down the you that may only be temperate, the you that was so caught in a thought that creativity and wild imaginations just starts to fall from heaven. Is that call inspiration? I’m not very sure. But this is one of those moments that I wrote down in January, this was that me:

30/1/2012 Kuching

I would like to say that I am a writer, but I prefer to call myself a "thinker" as the former seems to have a prerequisite for excellent literacy.

I was in the car with dad today when I realized, we don't talk much in the car, but we do travel a lot together. To the farms, around the city, to the waterfalls or other unknown places that he could think of. And for most of the time, it never felt awkward; the car zones through the sceneries outside while it was perfect silence in the car. I'm not sure what's going on in his mind but in mine it would be a continuous surge of 'imaginity' if there's such a thing.  I would be thinking of scenarios that never happened, of daring ideas to the world's problems, of contingencies, of thoughts, of words and beautiful things.

It could go on for hours while every little thing that flips through the windshield just adds on to the unseen world of my imagination. I'm not sure whether the thoughts caused the silence or the other way around, but what I do know is that the imaginations were always with me through my growing up as a kid. My family’s in a business, so we had lots of chores to do. Whether it was done with a willing heart, I remember during all those times of long hour work, of selling things by the road or farming in the orchard, my mind would be overflowing with things.

I think a lot, sometimes too much. Maybe it sprung out of an anxious personality that I used to be, or maybe it is just plain wild imagination that the world never really thought us to harness. Or thinking back, maybe those were the times that the God that I never knew who love me and created me, have been keeping me in company and telling me great and wonderful things I could never have dreamt as a child. Usually, if I don't write them down into any tangible form and review it, a world of wonders that seem almost so real would vanish like a dream, never to be recall.

However having too much thoughts and not knowing how to manage them may land me in the wonderland that isn’t all that wonderful. Being the “thinker” that I am, I would sometimes over-think certain things. It became a subtle form of anxiety which may seem harmless, or even wise, but slowly would develop itself into agony. Being overly worried, thinking of things that are in people's mind that which are not actually what they are thinking, making pre-mediated ideas 3 steps before a present situation. It wasn’t that fun anymore.

I think that was why I became apprehensive in a lot of things back then. Defensive and protective of myself, not knowing that I was protecting myself from good and great things as well.

I read about what Jesus said of being “child-like”, and that was exactly what I was not. Worrying was a denial to my mouth but a hard truth in my conscious. Worrying simply means having the foolish thought that of “let me handle this”. There was just too much going through my mind and isn’t that how stress starts to creep in.

I use to despise my mind, complaining that it does too many things at one go and all I want is just to be at apiece. When seeing a situation, it can be much more delightful to be simple and welcoming than to formulate 5 different angles of perspective that may not even be valid or reasonable at one go. It does seem like a gift, an unpolished diamond if you will, but it truly wasn’t pleasant-ful.

A lot of renewing was going on as I deliberately decided to be “child-like”. Not childish but “child-like”, meaning to me as being not overly-thoughtful and over-concern of things. Especially when I witness unexplainable things that God is doing which simply baffles your mind, the normal me would default-ly generate possible conclusions to try to explain things and satisfy the inner self. I thank God that He has not helped me in that way, conversely He continues to blow up my mind and thoughts until I just have to surrender and say, I don’t really know everything.

Since then, I started to learn to manage my wild thoughts. Harness them and be in control of them instead of the way around. Be constantly aware that God is speaking through my thoughts and learn to receive and dissect them.

I believe that my thought-full mind with an extra ‘l’ is who I learn to accept as. Despite the struggles and pain it has brought, it was a God-given thing. Under proper management, learning and yielding, it will be where I shall find my full potential.  

And that was me few months ago with some adding here and there. I do believe in writing because it records down my progression as a person. All the write-ups are not full representation of the author because I know what I strongly hold on to now may differ progressively. The me in January and the me in June almost looks and sounds like two different person as I pursue the renewing of my mind and the perceiving of things around me. With that said, although I don't know how and what, I will soon, not be the me now.

And that to me, is exciting.

photo credits to mingchun

All things shall be added to you

Its a shiny Tuesday morning. As I munched the left-over Oreo's from the Singapore trip with a messy cup of powdered milk in front of the laptop, I just felt the urged to express the awesomeness of this God I believe in.

4 years ago, around this time of the year was a tough time for the 18th year old me. Being thrown and torn between choices of further education, I was deeply shattered when I was told my dream occupation wasn't going to be realized- Architecture. Above it all, growing up with parents that had overseas education with one even spending more than half a decade somewhere far flung from the homeland, I assumed I was going to be just like them. I will be having friends of different nations going for road trips on weekends or sharing dinner with dishes of all nationalities in a warm fire-lit apartment during winter.

However reality was even though one of a twinning college was desperate of offering me a Diploma scholarship which then will lead me to Melbourne University 3 years later, a painful decision was made to forgo that dream option for financial reasons.

Hence I came to this random-never-heard-of college which was too far away from what I've always expected, bitterly. Back then all I do online is blog and read blogs, which kennysia.com was one of my tophits. And all this guy does is travel, travel and travel. And with such influence, I was really bitter. It may sound a little childish but imagine growing up hearing stories of overseas studies, the huge late-night library trips camping amidst books that smells of its age, the summer break holidays in all its excitement; and with all the expectation building up like a big diamond ball, which looks too beautiful only to be smashed right back to the floor.

Wells I'm just writing how I felt back then. I'm way over all this emotional cocos. 4 years later, I've never been so grateful for being able to finish my studies in this random-never-heard-of college that I once thought and there is no place I rather be than in this part of the country. With the friends I've made, the great life I've been having, and the God I've encountered. Strange thing is, just when I've settled with myself that I'm really fine staying in Malaysia for the rest of my life having no regrets and bitterness for no overseas experience, things start happening...

2 years ago around this time as well, Mum bought me a return flight to Australia, the land I was supposed to go if I were to be studying Architecture in Taylors, just one year earlier! I travelled around the Kangaroo Land for a month taking photos around the vicinity of Melbourne and Sydney. I went to that renowned University that I've dreamt of studying at, walk around the gardens and sit in one of its lecture. It was an amazing experience indeed, just when I thought I had no opportunity to go overseas.

2 years later, the whole family renewed/made their passports for a family trip to New Zealand for 2 weeks driving along the coastal scenic lines. Cramming in bedrooms, eating peaches everyday and barbequeing dinners together. I honestly never expected this to come to pass seeing the fact that the family has always been extra careful with huge spendings. I mean, I've heard of other families having family trips (I have a friend that travels to at least one country with the family each year) but my family?? WOW. Just when I thought I had no opportunity to go overseas.

One year from now, I'd HAVE TO go to Birmingham for my Masters programme, which was never in the plan since the beginning of college. I'm actually excited not over the overseas-euphoria, but the fact that I'm going this time just because I have to. Bill Johnson puts it best, "God is so awesome that sometimes He skips all your prayer list right down to something you never prayed for but don't mind having".

And just when you think this is the end of the story, here goes a super random thing that just redefines the person I believe in.

In the midst of my last semester, one of my lecturer rang me up and asked whether I would like to go for an English test, "which is kind of like IELTS but its from Cambridge" says her. Well I thought I don't mind having an extra qualification, and since the college is paying for everything, why not? I thought I was real lucky to be called since there is tonnes of students in college that has better command of English than me, but so happen this lecturer only got to choose a handful of students she knew, I happen to be one of them.

So i went for the exams with a bunch of others. It wasn't a tough level English test because the name was- FCE (First Certificate in English). I didn't really prepared much after I saw the name of the exams. haha. Afterall all we need is a pass to get that certificate.

Months later, the lecturer rang up and told me my exams result. I apparently done pretty well (94/100) which I never thought of because I knew I could pass but never expected something like that. She told me to be in touch because my scores qualified me for a public speaking competition. I really do love speaking in public so I rang up the phone and just smile.

1 week ago, right before going to Singapore (just when I thought I had no opportunity to go overseas.) to attend "Kingdom Invasion Conference" I checked my gmail and found out the details of the public speaking competition which made me laugh and laugh and laugh in joy towards this amazing God that just love to spoil you with things:

Cambridge ESOL Public Speaking Competition

Date: 12th April 2012

Time: 930AM-1230AM

Venue: Random-never-heard-of College

No. of Participants: 7

Top Prize:

Air ticket to CAMBRIDGE for the International Finals

And just when I thought I had no opportunity to go overseas

Blog Revived!

I was planning on writing a cheezily long introduction for the beginning of a revived blog, with a long accent of "SUSHI...LOVE...RICE!!!..." but I guess it is just not appropriate for the matter.

(If there is any clarification needed on the name of this blog, come let me save you some wild guessing. It's not a hidden message for a romantic accord for someone I like, neither has it got anything to do with me having an extraordinary liking for sushi/rice. SUSHILOVERICE simply means.........nothing :p I got a hold of it because it was so catchy to me. Maybe my businesses would be name after this in the future. "SUSHI LOVE RICE COFFEE" or "SUSHI LOVE RICE BOUTIQUE". OK let's not get carried away)

I am writing in here officially to declare, (to anyone else that still reads this blog and especially to me myself) that SUSHILOVERICE shall not be an "antique vase" in the miserable corner of the huge World Wide Web where only random handful of strangers would mis-stumbled into while google-searching other stuff.

I guess it's the hype of facebook and twitter and which-so-ever new social network sites that has swollen the place of blogs for self-expression and story sharing. The tolerance for words has also decrease generally among web-users than a little longer that 5 lines are unbearable to read let alone be understood.

Well I decided to come back to this blog where the entries used to be:

33 entries in a month?? Are you kidding me?

That's more than one a day =.=

Wonder what was going through that teenage world of mine. haha.

And now, an amount more than 5 is a miracle

It's not that life has been less exciting, as if the number of post shows the degree of happenings in life. No not at all. In fact there is more and more great things to share and write, more provoking thoughts that appears and even unexplainable things that I should write!

Hence! I shall not let my thoughts or things I meditate on go down the drain of forgetfulness or ignorance. Will be writing more often from now and so,

I declare the REVIVAL of SUSHILOVERICE!!! ROAR!!!

oh yea btw, I have braces on now :D

HappY HOLYdays EVERYONE!

photo credits: Jetaime

2012

I was never a big fan of countdowns on new years or any other occasions. The roller-coaster hype is too much to bear compared to the comfort of a chair, in front of a tele with junk food on hand; or the warm-my feeling of spending it with loved ones and God in church and the after-church food-fellowship. It has always been that way, slow and steady, warm and fuzzy :)

So when I got the job for emcee-ing a new year's countdown, in a 5 hour drive from KL, for quite a fair pay, I was puzzled in my own excitement XD

What is New Year to you?

The crowd were mostly families with children running all around. Maybe New Year's to them was a declaration of holidays and spending time together, nothing much like what I've prepared about resolutions and hope for a better year.

A bridge away from where I was, and probably the same all over the world, younger generation party hard to celebrate the passing of the old and the entering of a new and unknown year. Maybe some hadn't had a great year; some may not know what to make up of it; while some may just be overwhelmed with the past 12 months.

Marcel, had to work through the new years. He said he would have been partying as well with everyone else, but he has a family now. That's her lovely young girl whom joined him right before the countdown.

"It only happens once a year, where the hopeless can be romantic; and a resolution can become a revelation. Its about being able to do more, give more, and hope more."

New Year's Eve, The Movie

I am very satisfied with my past one year. Although there were definitely reasons to be unhappy with, the good sight of it all just overshadowed any reason to moan with. The excitement of my last year in college with an unknown future ahead has been really overwhelming, the wonderful people that keeps on being added into my close circle, the people that I've helped and helped me through the year, the miracles that I've came to know and be apart of (legs growing and blind eyes opening!) and of course that irreplaceable relationship with Him that has grown so much.

Its 2012! A year that is going to be filled with unknowns, a year right after 2011 which had the most natural disaster in history, a year which people made movies to tell of the end of the world;

But its gonna be an awesome year for sure! A year filled with surprises, a year to desire more, to hope and dream bigger than ever before, and a year to love more and forgive even more.

2012 is gonna be the bomb! And I mean it in a good way :)

Happy 2012 Everybody!!!

Tumblr Fever

haha!

but before that, there is

-loads of last minute assignments,

-meetings and arrangements,

-events and more events,

-overslept and sleepless nights,

and above all

there is CHRISTMAS!

(which i happen to celebrate from the 1st to the 31st December)

Embrace yourself!

It's Christmas!

Tumblr!

Source: mighty2save

Source: xoxocreatedbeautifulxo

Tumblr's pretty awesome!

Check these out :

http://lmaogtfo.tumblr.com

http://did-you-kno.tumblr.com/

Well i guess it would be better than browsing facebook and act as if you're not waiting for more notifications :)